Universe Today Podcast
Space news, interviews, Q&As, and exclusive content from Universe Today.
Audio versions of Fraser Cain YouTube channel.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 1407
- Years Active
- 2014 - 2025
Episode 427: 352: How Do Ion Engines Work? The Most Efficient Propulsion System Out There
People always ask me why we’re stuck with chemical rockets. Seriously, exploding a bunch of hydrogen or kerosene is the best we can do?
Episode 426: Open Space 5: Chasing New Horizons with Alan Stern and David Grinspoon
In this week's live QA, Fraser is joined by Dr. Alan Stern, the Principal Investigator of New Horizons and Dr. David Grinspoon to talk about their new book.
Episode 425: QA 56: Is Everything We See Long Dead? And More...
When we look out into space, are we really just seeing stars, planets and galaxies which are long dead, ghosts from eons ago? Can black holes consume dark matter? Can we repair Kepler and other dead …
Episode 424: 351: The Militarization of Space. Do We Really Need a Space Force?
President Trump recently called for the creation of a space force to deal with the future warfighting in space. It turns out, this already exists, space is already well militarized.
Episode 423: Open Space 4: John Michael Godier
In this week's live QA, Fraser is joined by sci-fi author and futurist John Michael Godier.
Episode 422: QA 55: Launching Rockets From Balloons? Featuring Emily Lakdawalla From The Planetary Society
In this week's questions show, Fraser wonders if lava tubes are stable, the best places to extract resources from the Solar System, and why the US has to pay for everyone's science.
Episode 421: 350: Thanks To Gaia We Now Know Exactly Where 1.7 Billion Stars Are In The Milky Way
The European Space Agency just dropped an enormous amount of data onto the scientific community. The location and position of 1.7 billion stars in the Milky Way.
Episode 420: Open Space 3: Live QA Featuring CodyDon Reeder from Cody's Lab
In this week's live QA, Fraser talks to CodyDon Reeder, the host and self-taught chemist and mad scientist from the popular YouTube channel Cody's Lab.
Episode 419: QA 54: Why Doesn't NASA Mass Produce Spacecraft? and More...
In this week's episode, Fraser talks about how you can support the creators you love, why NASA doesn't make duplicates of its spacecraft, and what binoculars he's using.
Episode 418: Open Space 2: Live QA Featuring Isaac Arthur
In this week's live QA, Fraser welcomes futurist Isaac Arthur to talk about a range of topics, from SpaceX to Breakthrough Starshot, and what we think about the state of sci-fi on TV.
Episode 417: QA 53: How Many Planets Can We Detect? And More... Featuring Professor David Kipping
In this week's questions show, Fraser gets excited about the NIAC awards, considers how NASA will deal with a fully operational BFR, and a special guest answer from Professor David Kipping from Colum…
Episode 416: Open Space 1: Live QA on YouTube
Once a week I'll be opening up the livestream on my YouTube channel and taking questions from the audience, as well as inviting special guests to join me. I didn't think about turning into this into …
Episode 415: 349: Farewell Kepler. Welcome TESS And The Quest To Find Earth 2.0
We’re now entering the final days for NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. It’s running out of fuel and already crippled by the loss of its reaction wheels. In just a few months NASA will shut it down for …
Episode 414: QA 52: Could Satellites With Lasers To Clear Debris Be Weapons Too? And More...
In this week's questions show, Fraser explains how space debris hunting satellites could also be used as weapons, why his green screen is always set to Endor, and ways to find nearby places for starg…
Episode 413: 348: Living Underground on Other Worlds. Exploring Lava Tubes
The Moon and Mars will probably be the first places in the Solar System that humanity will try to live after leaving the safety and security of Earth. But those worlds are still incredibly harsh envi…
Episode 412: QA 51: Could We See Ourselves in the Past? And more..
In this week's QA, I wonder if we could use the speed of light to see ourselves in the past, how the Mars rovers clean their solar panels, and if aliens would infect us with their bacteria and viruse…
Episode 411: 347: Searching for Life on Europa? Going Under the Ice
We’re now learning that icy worlds seem to be the best places in Solar System where life could be hiding. Worlds like Europa and Enceladus, which have vast oceans of liquid water beneath a shell of w…
Episode 410: QA 50: Can James Webb Find Megastructures? And More... Featuring Abby Harrison
In this week's questions show, I wonder if the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to find satellites around other stars, what my favorite sci-fi FTL method is, and why can't we see Mars as a bri…
Episode 409: 346: Which Are The Real Pictures of Space? What’s a Photo and What’s An Illustration?
With modern computer graphics, it’s sometimes hard to know which is an actual photograph of space, and what’s an illustration or a 3D rendering. Some really fascinating discoveries don’t have a prett…
Episode 408: QA 49: How Would We Drill Into Europa? And More...
In this week's questions show, I explain why I never get to the point, if we'll ever reach interstellar space, and how we'd get down below the ice sheet on Europa.